Dog drags owner off of train tracks

SHIRLEY, Mass., May 10 (UPI) -- Authorities in Massachusetts said a heroic pit bull was injured when she pulled her unconscious owner from the path of a train.

Emergency responders said an engineer on the train spotted a dog dragging a woman off the tracks May 3 in Shirley, but he was unable to stop the train before it struck Lilly, an 8-year-old pit bull, WCVB-TV, Boston, reported Thursday.

The dog's owner, Christine Spain, had collapsed by the tracks while walking home but was not injured, responders said.

However, Lilly suffered injuries to her foot, pelvis and internal organs. She was taken to an emergency animal hospital in Acton, where Spain's son, Boston police Officer David Lanteigne, picked her up and took her to Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston.

"Lilly's recovery from this horrific ordeal is my top priority right now and I'll do everything possible to get her back home to us," said Lanteigne, who adopted the dog for his mother three years ago. He said the canine has helped his mother curb her heavy drinking habits.